BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
An Idaho woman and a student who allegedly fell and hit his head on a fire hydrant during a physical education class filed a tort claim seeking more than $1 million in damages.
The claim, which was filed in late February, is against the West Ada School District, Mountain View High School, a teacher, the West Ada School District Board of Trustees, Ada County and the city of Meridian.
The West Ada School District and Ada County did not respond to requests for comment. The lawyer on the complaint also did not respond to a request for comment.
The city of Meridian said the claim had been processed and sent to the city’s insurer, who would review the claim and make decisions on what happens moving forward.
The teacher instructed the student and the class to run a lap around the Mountain View High School premises in September 2021, according to the claim. The lap included “running off the school grounds and near dangerous conditions,” the claim alleged.
“Claimant (redacted) suffered injuries to his head including a skull fracture requiring surgery as a result of the event described above and the negligence and/or reckless, willful and wanton conduct,” the tort claim alleged.
One of the claimants, Elizabeth Sarman, lost wages because of the student’s injury, the claim alleged.
The tort claim also included medical records, emails, photographs of the school and video evidence. However, much of what is included is heavily redacted.
A tort claim is not the same as a lawsuit, it’s a notice someone believes a wrong has been committed and is preserving a right to sue, the Idaho Press previously reported.
In 2018, attorneys filed two tort claims against the West Ada School District and a transportation company after two students were allegedly injured in a school bus crash. The claims asked for $70,000 in damages, the Idaho Press previously reported.
In 2017, a similar tort claim was filed against Compass Public Charter School, West Ada, the Ada County Highway District, the city of Meridian and another transportation company. That claim came after a teen was hit in a school-zone crosswalk, according to the Idaho Press.
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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